"NVIDIA's core strategy is to deliver a breakthrough product every six months, doubling performance with each generation at a rate of essentially Moore's Law cubed...Our unique ability to innovate at this staggering pace is one of the key elements of our competitive advantage. Our consistency has made it possible for our partners to rely on our architecture and roadmap."
Introduction
In parts one and two of this feature, we looked at graphics chips from 3dfx, ATI, Matrox, nVIDIA and S3 (the latter of which, in Aug. 2000, decided it was time to pull the plug on its graphics board business). In this installment, we'll take a closer look at your best choices in PC graphics cards during the second half of Y2K. nVIDIA, in Aug. 2000, reclaimed the crown for top performance with its GeForce2 GTS Ultra. It demolishes the previous contender, the ATI Radeon, in practically every performance category. Indeed, according to Mercury Research, Nvidia graphics chips were found in 48% of all desktop PCs shipped Q3 2000. ATI's desktop share fell to 34%.
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Although the GeForce2 GTS Ultra, Voodoo5 and ATI Radeon are three of the best performers, they're not necessarily the best choice for everybody. For one thing, they're expensive. Even second-rate graphics cards available today are fabulous, in comparison to products at the top-end of the market just a year or two ago. For high-end gamers, the most popular choices are the nVIDIA GeForce2 and GeForce2MX, or the 3dfx Voodoo5 5500.
The Voodoo5 5500, most users agree, has better looking output when FSAA is turned on, but some people don't like the slight performance hit that occurs. We think the Voodoo's FSAA rocks, thus the statement (made prior to the release of the GeForce2 GTS Ultra) at AnandTech: "...[for] those users that are very into Direct3D games like Need for Speed 5 in which FSAA offers a tangible benefit to your overall gaming experience, the choice is still with the Voodoo5. For everyone else, the fastest performing card and the best overall card is still the GeForce 2 GTS. " --- puts us in the Voodoo camp, at least until we consider the price.
The GeForce 2 MX, is, however, a good value. Some users may consider it crazy to spend a lot on a graphics card, when a much faster model forever seems only about a year away -- a view that's hard to argue with. We also like the MX's TwinView feature.
All things considered, we recommend the GeForce 2 MX, based on its value and gaming performance. However, there are cases where other cards rise to the top of our Q3/00 Buyer's Guide list:
For gamers willing to pay more for (this month's) ultimate performance: nVIDIA GeForce2 GTS Ultra.
For those interested in the best possible visual fidelity, while maintaining maximum frame-rates: Voodoo 5500. Best cards for video capture and TV playback: Matrox Marvel G400-TV or ATI All in Wonder 128. (ATI recently delivered an All-in-Wonder card based on the Radeon chip. Read our review here.) Matrox is poised to release an improved Marvel model, known as the eTV-450. Look for more information of this product in our Q1-01 report, soon.
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